SFRTA: Tri-Rail ridership up in 2011

The South Florida Regional Transportation Authority's total ridership, including weekends and holidays, reached 3,948,100 in 2011, up from 3,644,978 in 2010, showing an increase of 8.3 percent.

Last year's total marked the second highest ridership in the 22-year history of the system, surpassed only by 2008, when gas prices consistently hovered around $4 a gallon. Weekday ridership on Tri-Rail trains increased by 10 percent in 2011, growing from 3,117,556 passengers in 2010, to 3,424,030 in 2011.

"Now that more South Floridians are returning to work, more and more commuters are turning to Tri-Rail to provide an economical, efficient way to get to their place of employment. We are glad that we are here to fulfill their needs," said Joseph Giulietti, SFRTA executive director.

Underscoring the impact that the improving employment outlook is having on Tri-Rail ridership, is that 285 companies joined the SFRTA's Employer Discount Program in 2011, as did 2,829 individual employees.